1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to manufacturing and, in particular, to performing operations on structures to manufacture an object. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for performing operations on structures to manufacture an object using a moving platform.
2. Background
In manufacturing aircraft, many parts may be fabricated and assembled to form the aircraft. For example, the fuselage of an aircraft may be formed by manufacturing structures such as frames and skin panels. The skin panels may be attached to the frames using fasteners.
The attachment of skin panels to the frames may involve many different types of operations. For example, drilling operations may be performed to form holes for use in connecting skin panels to the frames. In another example, fasteners may be installed in the holes to connect the skin panels to the frames.
The assembly of parts may be performed in a number of different ways. For example, human operators may perform the different operations to form holes and install fasteners to connect skin panels to the frames. With human operators, the process may be labor intensive, more complex, and more time-consuming than desired.
When human operators are employed, platforms, jigs, fixtures, scaffolding, gantry systems, and other components may be set up and used to perform operations such as positioning skin panels with respect to frames, drilling holes, installing fasteners, and other operations.
The assembly of these parts also may be performed using automated equipment. For example, robotic equipment may be used to form holes and install fasteners. The automated equipment may often be larger than desired. In some cases, the size of the automated equipment, such as robotic arms or other bulky equipment, may reduce the ability to perform some operations in connecting skin panels to frames to form a fuselage of the aircraft.
Robotic equipment may also include crawlers that move on tracks. These tracks may be attached to the fuselage panels positioned relative to the frames. A crawler may move on the track to perform operations such as drilling operations and fastener installation operations.
Crawlers on tracks may not be as bulky as other types of robotic equipment. However, the use of tracks may require the drilling of additional holes for attaching the tracks to the fuselage. Additionally, the use of tracks may require more time and effort than desired to install and remove these types of systems to perform operations on the fuselage of an aircraft.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method and apparatus that take into account at least some of the issues discussed above, as well as other possible issues.